New here, would really appreciate a bit of advice...

Hello! I am looking to get in on a D&D campaign, one which is welcoming those new to the site and mostly inexperienced with the game.  I have played several times in the past, but that was some years ago (it was v3.5) and when I did play it was very loose and not too by the book. So I am wondering, first, are there any games welcoming to players such as myself?  (I would really like to start and play properly.  Really sink my teeth into it.) Then if there are, what all will I need?  Is there a way to roll a character on the site, or will I need to do that on my own? My handbook is years gone, and I can pick that up any ole' time, or is all of that info built in here? How will I interact with the GM, will it be via text or webcam? I know I am asking quite a lot here, but I really am green behind the ears and not at all tech savvy.  Thank you for any help you may offer.

Hi, Joel!  First, Welcome! A little further down, there is a spot for players and DM's looking to hookup, you shouldn't have too much trouble finding a group there. The rest of your questions are a little more complicated, but the answer is basically: it depends! Assuming that you are playing 5e, it is very possible that the DM will have the rules built into the roll20 campaign in a searchable engine for you. But, it isn't guaranteed, so you will want to check.  Likewise, how to make a character is going to vary by the game, but it is most likely that you will do that on the roll20 site, at least if there is any dice rolling to be done. As for how you are going to communicate, that is also going to vary, but it is likely to be either through roll20 itself, via it's voice, video, and text chat, or through something like discord, facebook, google, zoom, or any number of other similar solutions, most of which wont cost you anything to use, or be difficult to set up. I hope this helps!

Welcome Joel! Dalton answered most of your questions, but here is the standard welcome message I used to give as a moderator, updated a bit: First off: Welcome to Roll20! If you are looking to dive on in I would recommend  against  taking the tutorial. It  is very old and out of date, and at some point it  will  break. My suggestion is to check out the  Learning Roll20  Course on Youtube, or my own video,  Starting from Scratch .  Additionally, starting your own test game to play with different features and controls is a great way of getting used to the software and layout! If you are ready to jump into some adventures, check out the  Looking For Group Tool  and  Looking for Group Forum  daily for games that may be of interest to you. Also, be sure to fill out your  User Profile ! Your "Bio" is where you have a chance to catch a GM's eye with a well-written statement about yourself The "Enjoys Playing" section is important for two reasons: Every entry you put here is a data-point for  The Orr Group Industry Report  of games being played, and it lets other people looking at your profile know a bit more about you The "Actively Seeks Group For" section is where you can add yourself to the  Player Directory  for systems you want to play We also have a  wiki  and a  Help Center  where you can find answers to a lot of your questions! However, if you can't find an answer, feel free to post in our  various sub-forums  based on their particular topics. Completely new to Role-Playing Games? Check out our  Introduction to Tabletop RPGs  wiki page. Good luck (and loot) on your adventures!

Thank you both very, very much! This is what I needed to know!